Water shortage makes life miserable for villagers in Puri, Kalahandi

Puri/Kalahandi: At a time when the state is reeling under heatwave condition, people in some places of Puri and Kalahandi are facing acute water scarcity.

In Brahmagiri block of Puri district, locals of as many as 15 different villages allege that in spite of overhead tank for mass water supply installed seven years ago, pipelines to almost all villages and even a solar power back up facility to support water lift during power failures, people are yet to get proper supply of water. Further, tube wells have also become defunct in the area depriving people of clean drinking water.

“Over the last seven years we had only got water for about two months and that too in poor quality since we found more iron content in it. Subsequently the project stopped functioning altogether. Now dependence on local open water bodies is posing health threats like spread of water borne diseases in the area,” a local resident of Bhubanpur village said.

Asked about the situation, local administration promised to solve the water crisis as soon as possible. “I spoke to the concerned department and they have already initiated work on ad-hoc basis. I hope the problems would be alleviated within a week, Jitendra Kumar Sahu, Brahmagiri BDO said.

Similarly in Kalahandi district, villagers of Leter GP under Dharamgarh sub-division rely on the Udanti River for their daily water usage. Right from the sunrise locals have to struggle by digging pits on the river bank and collect water.

“Since the river bank gets dry easily we have to come for more than once to collect water. Many a time we suffer from different diseases which affect us due to consumption of unclean water. But we are helpless as time and again we have apprised various authorities about the situation but to no avail.